Author's Notes:

So...remember how this story was originally supposed to have multiple endings?

Yeah...I decided against that. Mostly because a lot of the endings I had planned were...super depressing and I decided I didn't really want to write them.

I'm not precluding the possibility that I might come back and actually write those endings later on, but for now, I'd rather do this as a straight-up non-experimental story and get it off the table.

Oh, and I've made some minor tweaks and edits to the previous chapters of this, in case you're interested. Nothing huge, just fixing a couple of things and revising Black Widow's description a bit.

One more thing: For the purposes of this story, Chat Noir does remember everything he's done while under an Akumatized villain's control. More or less. Think of it like mostly remembering what you do when you're drunk, days later.

Enjoy!

MIRACULOUS LADYBUG: "BLACK WIDOW"

by Mythril Moth

PART THREE

"Enough talk," Black Widow snapped. "The Miraculous. NOW! And then I want Adrien."

Alya rushed over to Chat Noir's side, keeping wide, wary eyes on the three villainesses. "So, uhh...just out of curiosity...what the heck happened to cause all this?"

Chat Noir sighed. "Long story. Important part, Marinette heard something out of context and...didn't take it well."

Alya frowned. "Okay, that you're gonna have to explain to me after we snap my crazy psycho best friend out of WHOA!" She ducked as Black Widow's flail sailed through where her head was a split second earlier, then broke left as a black yo-yo tried to snare her ankle.

"You're getting sloppy, Ladybug!" Antibug jeered.

"That's not the real Ladybug," Black Widow said with a smirk. "She's never even fought before, taking her out will be a piece of cake."

Volpina frowned. "So that's why she looks so different," she said. "But how do you know she isn't the real Ladybug?"

"Because I'm the real Ladybug," Black Widow said, her voice dripping with venom, "and I want my Miraculous back."

The entire battle froze. Chat Noir facepalmed. "She did not just—"

Volpina and Antibug turned to stare incredulously at Black Widow. "LADYBUG?!" they both cried.

"She did," Alya said with a sigh, massaging the bridge of her nose and shaking her head.

Volpina and Antibug looked at each other. Volpina smirked. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

Antibug pursed her lips. "I want Ladybug to suffer," she said. "But you know what'll happen if we don't get the Miraculous."

"Yeah yeah, we'll get the Miraculous," Volpina said. "But I'm thinking...after we get our revenge on Ladybug."

Antibug tilted her head. "Hmm..." A slow sneer spread across her face. "Alright, I can go along with that." Her sneer turned savage. "Let's figure out where her Akuma is."

Volpina snorted. "Who cares where it is?"

Antibug rolled her eyes. "If we release her Akuma, we find out who Ladybug really is."

Volpina blinked. "Huh. Good point." She smiled an evil smile. "I like the way you think, Antibug!"

Chat Noir's eyes widened. "Oh no. This is bad."

"Umm...it's bad that they basically want to do our job for us?" Alya asked.

"It's bad if they free that Akuma and..." He shook his head. "No, we need to deal with these two first and get them out of here, THEN deal with Black Widow."

"Oh, listen to all of you," Black Widow sang. "Making all your little plans to deal with me, as if any of you can take me."

"HAH! Are you bad at math, Ladybug? It's four against one!" Volpina said haughtily.

Black Widow smirked at her. "That's right, Lila. You're outnumbered. You need about, oh...ten more of you for this to be a fair fight?"

"What's with this ego?" Alya asked.

Chat Noir frowned. "The Akuma's making her the worst version of herself," he said. "Ladybug's normally confident and cocky, so..." He sighed. "Unfortunately, she also has a point. This...is gonna suck."

"Aww, kitty's afraid of the big bad bug," Volpina sneered.

"Hey, you've never seen her take down five opponents all by herself armed with just a yo-yo and a power strip," Chat Noir said. "I have. I was there. I've also see her jump right into a dinosaur's mouth and live. I know what I'm up against."

"Uhh, Chat Noir? You're...not helping me feel any more confident about winning this fight," Alya said nervously.

Antibug let out a disgusted snort. "Are we all going to stand around talking all day or are we going to fight?"

"Fight," Black Widow answered, sending a spider web flying at Antibug that knocked her into the river. Then, without missing a step, she swung her flail at Volpina, tearing her flute away, then leapt high into the air and aimed a diving corkscrew kick at Alya. Chat Noir growled and stepped in front of her, spinning his baton. Black Widow bounced off the spinning baton shield, backflipped three meters away, and landed in a ready crouch, flail spinning over her head.

"It's not gonna go down the same way it did before, Ladybug," Chat Noir growled in a serious tone. "Every time you've beaten me, I was under somebody else's control. This time..." He tightened his grip on his baton. "This time, I'm fighting to save you."

"Oh? And what if I don't want to be saved?" Black Widow purred.

"Then you'll still have to deal with ME!" Antibug yelled as she somersaulted through the air, her yo-yo flashing out again and again as she struck at a suddenly dodging, dancing Black Widow. Volpina recovered her flute and blew a haunting tune; a forest of Volpinas appeared around the duel, circling and keeping Chat Noir and Alya at a distance.

"Tch," Chat Noir spat, eyes scanning the mass of illusions as the grunts of exertion and clash of weapons sounded from within.

"Oh, screw this," Alya muttered, striking out with her yo-yo. Volpina's illusions dissipated with each strike, thinning the crowd. Chat Noir followed her lead, but was forced on the defensive when Antibug was suddenly launched in his direction, smashing butt-first into his face and knocking him to the ground. He flailed around, thrashing and trying to dislodge her; when Antibug came to her senses, she saw Chat Noir's flailing hand in her face, smirked, and reached for his ring.

"Oh no you don't!" Alya cried, her yo-yo smacking Antibug's hand away. Antibug sneered, wrapped her own yo-yo around Chat Noir's wrist, then did a handspring away and whipped him around like a flail. Chat Noir let out a wild yowl of confusion as he was slammed bodily into Alya, sending them both sprawling to the ground. Seeing the heroes down in a tangle of limbs, Black Widow launched a spider web that pinned them firmly to the ground in an awkward, compromising position.

Alya glared up into Chat Noir's face. "Watch the hands," she warned.

"Hey, this kitty only has paws for one little red bug," Chat Noir said.

Alya groaned. "Is this what she has to put up with?"

"Annoying, isn't it?" Black Widow said cheerfully as she danced past, exchanging blows with Volpina. "If he wasn't such a good partner and kinda cute, I'd have had him fixed by now!"

"Mee-owch," Chat Noir said in a strangled voice.

"How do...ngh...we get...OUT of this thing?" Alya grunted, straining to break the spider web.

"I dunno," Chat Noir said. "These webs are hard to break without leverage..."

Volpina let out a yell as she was launched into the river with a mighty splash. Antibug's yo-yo smacked sharply against the back of Chat Noir's head, and Black Widow's flail passed close enough to shear off a few hairs. "Hey! Watch the hair!"

"Really?" Alya said, glaring up at him.

"Hey, I have to watch out for that," Chat Noir said sheepishly as he managed to work a hand free. "Okay...now I can..."

A red glove seized his wrist in a painfully tight grip. "Need to borrow this," Black Widow said. "Catch, cat!"

Chat Noir blinked as Antibug's yo-yo smacked into his palm. Reflexively, he clamped down on it, holding it tight as Antibug tried to pull away.

"Come on, Minou," Black Widow said. "Use your Cataclysm."

"Are you nuts?" Chat Noir protested.

Black Widow rolled her eyes. "I'll let you out so Alya can deal with the Akuma," she said. "I don't want an army of Chloés skanking up Paris."

"HEY!" Antibug snarled. She frowned. "Wait, Aly—"

"CATACLYSM!" Chat Noir yelled emphatically. His hand glowed black; Antibug's yo-yo crumbled into nothingness, and the purple Akuma took wing.

The spiderweb dissolved; Chat Noir and Alya leapt to their feet. Alya tracked the Akuma with her eyes as she swung the yo-yo back and forth, then sent it flying, sweeping the butterfly out of the air. "Gotcha!" she cried. Reeling it in, she opened the yo-yo and released the white butterfly. She grinned broadly as it flew away. "Wow, that was kinda fun!"

"Yeah, but we're not done yet, and I'm about to be out of this fight," Chat Noir said with a tired sigh as Antibug's outfit boiled away, leaving a dazed Chloé staggering woozily in her place.

"Perfect timing," Volpina said as she slipped up behind Chat Noir. "I'll just be taking your MirACK!" Alya's yo-yo wound itself around her legs and tugged her to the ground. She flailed her arms as she fell.

Alya gave her yo-yo a sharp tug, pulling Volpina close. Chat Noir leaned down, yanked off the foxtail pendant, and snapped it in half. Volpina shrieked as the Akuma flew away; Alya spun her around like a hammer and threw her at Black Widow, knocking her off balance, then captured and purified her Akuma. As Volpina turned back into Lila, Alya smiled and fluffed her hair. "I think I'm getting the hang of this!"

"Don't get too attached," Chat Noir warned. "As soon as we free Ladybug—"

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Alya said. "Then the three of us have to sit down and have a long taAAAAAH!" She cried out as Black Widow's flail slammed into her stomach, followed by a spiderweb which tangled her up, pinning her arms to her sides.

Black Widow stalked toward her, fury in her eyes. "You've had your fun," she said. "Now I'm taking back my Miraculous."

"Oh no you're not!" Chat Noir cried, charging in, ignoring the shrill beeping of his Miraculous as he extended his baton, raising it to strike Black Widow in the back of the head. Without even looking, she sidestepped, then caught him in the nose with a spinning backfist. He staggered, but separated his baton and went at Black Widow, whirling and striking; she blocked, parried, and sidestepped his blows, but his close-quarters attacks kept her from using her flail. As Alya struggled against the spiderweb, Chat Noir and Black Widow continued their deadly dance. Lila sat up and watched, confused but curious; Chloé stood listless and dazed, blinking stupidly at her surroundings.

"You've got two minutes left, Chaton," Black Widow said lightly as Chat Noir's ring let off a third beep. "I don't mind if you stick around, it'll make it easier for me to take your Miraculous."

"Ladybug, you don't have to do this!" Chat Noir cried.

"Oh, but I do," Black Widow said. She frowned as she turned to see Chloé, who was still staring in wide-eyed confusion. "Oh, but wait," she said, a predatory smirk gracing her lips. "This is the perfect chance to finish off the biggest pest in Paris..."

"CHLOÉ! GET OUT OF HERE!" Alya yelled.

"Huh? What? Ladybug?" Chloé said, blinking. "Did you do something to your hair? It looks terrible!"

"Tch," Chat Noir spat. His ring gave another beep; he was down to one pad. "Alya, whatever you do, keep her busy!" With that, he grabbed Chloé and vaulted up onto the bridge, sprinting along the rail as fast as he could.

"Oh, keep her busy, sure, no problem!" Alya said sarcastically as she struggled against the web binding her.

Black Widow watched Chat Noir flee, snorted, then sauntered over to Alya. "I'll deal with them later," she said. "For now, you have something that belongs to me."

"Marinette, don't do this!" Alya cried. "You don't know what'll happen if Hawk Moth gets his hands on the Miraculous!"

Black Widow smirked down at her as she leaned in. "Who said anything about Hawk Moth?" she whispered. "Nobody gets my Miraculous but ME!"

"What? NO!" Hawk Moth snarled angrily. "That wasn't our deal, Black Widow! I gave you this power, you belong to me!"

Alya watched with wide, terrified eyes as a glowing outline of a butterfly appeared around Black Widow's eyes. Black Widow stiffened, agony briefly flickering across her face...then she smiled.

"Nice try, Hawk Moth," she said. "I'm too strong for you to control. And once I have my Miraculous back, I'm coming to finish you."

Forgotten off to the side, Lila watched with wide, startled eyes as Black Widow removed Ladybug's earrings. A wash of pink light swept across her body, replacing the spotted suit with Alya's jeans and plaid shirt.

Laughing, Black Widow put on the Miraculous. Tikki materialized in midair, staring in horror. "Marinette, no," she whimpered.

Black Widow smiled at her. "Tikki..."

"NO!" Alya cried.

"SPOTS ON!"

"IMPOSSIBLE!" Hawk Moth bellowed, eyes wide and furious. The butterflies flapped and fluttered all around him, agitated. "She can't...! That isn't POSSIBLE!"

Chat Noir made it halfway to Le Grand Paris when his Miraculous timed out in mid-stride. He went ass-over-teakettle as the green wash of magic swept over him, erasing his powers and leaving behind...

"ADRICHOU?!"

Chloé stared, astonished, as Adrien rolled to a stop, groaning and rubbing his butt. He glanced up at Chloé and winced. "Merde..."

Chloé shook her head in disbelief, whipping her blond ponytail about behind her. "Non...NON! Adrichou, you're...you can't possibly be...!"

Adrien sighed. "This day just keeps getting better," he muttered.

Chloé squatted down next to him, her blue eyes full of confusion. "You're Chat Noir? Really? I'm not dreaming this?"

Adrien ran his hands through his hair. "Yeah," he said tiredly.

"What, you're not even going to try to deny it?" a third, tired voice intruded. Chloé stared, jaw agape, at the black cat fairy that floated listlessly toward Adrien.

"What's the point?" Adrien protested. "She saw it with her own eyes."

"What is that ratty-looking thing?" Chloé asked, pointing at Plagg.

"I'll explain on the way to your place," Adrien said as he stood up, grimacing. "We need to get off the street before Black Widow finds us. Until I can transform again, we're helpless."

"Uhh...okay," Chloé said uncertainly, pursing her lips and looking around. "I have no idea what's going on, but—"

"Marinette's been Akumatized," Adrien said tersely as he began walking.

"Eh? Maritrash? That was Maritrash back there?" Chloé said as she jogged to match his stride. "What's her damage?"

"She wants to kill me for breaking her heart and you for...well...pretty much existing," Adrien said with a frown.

Chloé snorted. "Oh, what, so she does have some lame little crush on you," she said disdainfully. "Well, it's not your fault you're too good for her."

Adrien stopped, turned, and glared at Chloé. "Don't," he said. "The last thing I wanna hear right now is your bullshit."

Chloé blinked rapidly, stunned. "Adrichou..."

Adrien sighed. "Sorry," he said. "I'm having a bad day. Just...do me a favor and stop dissing Marinette, alright? She's my friend, and...and I need to save her so I can talk to her and...and straighten some things out."

Chloé pressed her lips together. "Only if you promise me an explanation," she said. "I can't helieve you of all people are Chat Noir."

"Yeah...try to keep that to yourself," Adrien muttered as he kept walking.

Alya picked herself up, groaning. Every inch of her body hurt, and she had a terrible, pounding headache. She tried to stand, but ended up plopping down had on her butt. She looked around, frowning as she cleaned her glasses on her shirt.

She was alone. Lila had run off. Marinette had...

"Oh God," she moaned. "I really, really screwed up..."

"Hmm, yes, this is a mess," a soft voice said from behind her. She turned to see a small, wizened Chinese man in a red Hawaiian shirt regarding her with sad eyes. "I never expected this to happen." He shook his head. "Just goes to show, life always has a way of surprising you."

Alya blinked at him. "Who—"

"Chat Noir is going to need help," the old man said. "Ladybug is a difficult opponent, especially now that she's been corrupted. I have faith in him, but..." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, lacquered box. "A little insurance never hurts." He smiled kindly. "Would you like a second chance, Mademoiselle? A chance to save both of your friends?"

Alya nodded numbly. "I...yes," she said. "But how? I don't—I mean—"

The old man handed her the box. "It is time," he said, "for the Fox to join the hunt."

"Camembert?" Chloé asked, wrinkling her nose. "But no, wouldn't you rather have some sushi?"

As soon as they'd arrived at Le Grand Paris and headed up to Chloé's suite, Adrien had ordered a cheese platter from room service. Now, Adrien was pacing the room like a caged tiger, his posture stiff and alert.

"It's not for me, it's for Plagg," Adrien said, looking out the window, tense and wary. "He needs to eat so I can transform again."

Chloé made a disgusted noise. "You need to train your pet to eat something normal."

"I am not a pet!" Plagg retorted.

"Oh, well you're small and look like a cheap toy, are you from Japan?"

Adrien groaned. "Chloé...enough." He shook his head. "Can you just, for once, sit still and behave and not make the situation any worse than it already is?"

Chloé let out a disbelieving huff. "Adrichou! What—what are you talking about?"

"You want a list?" Plagg muttered sourly.

Adrien rubbed the bridge of his nose. "If you and Lila hadn't been acting like you were in the library, none of this would be happening." He sighed. "No, it's my fault we're in this mess, but you two started the whole thing."

Chloé scoffed. "Puh-lease."

"No, he's right," Plagg said. "You two fighting over a boy neither of you has a chance with, it's only natural he snapped." He flicked an ear. "Where's that cheese?"

The cheese arrived at that precise moment; once Adrien accepted it, Plagg dived right in.

Chloé gagged in disgust. "Okay, so while that rude thing eats nasty cheese, can you explain this whole thing? Why are you Chat Noir? Was that really Maritrash back there? Why's she after you? And why are you so worried, Ladybug will—"

"Ladybug's out of action," Adrien said. "Marinette—Black Widow—she—" He paused, grimacing. "Already beat Ladybug and took her Miraculous."

Chloé gasped, covering her mouth. "No!" She frowned. "But wait, no, Ladybug, I saw her—"

"That was Alya," Adrien said. "I...I got the Miraculous back from Black Widow, but since I don't know who Ladybug is, I had to give it to Alya so she could be a temporary Ladybug. You know, to save Marinette. And...and you and Lila."

Chloé blinked. "Me and Lila, what are you talking about?"

"You were Akumatized again," Plagg said around a mouthful of cheese. "Antibug."

Chloé paled. "I was? I don't..." She shook her head. "Is this true, Adrichou?"

"Afraid so," Adrien said. "Today has sucked. I've never had to fight three Akumatized at the same time before, and without Ladybug, it's been a nightmare." He frowned. "I hope Alya was able to get away from Black Widow..."

"I wouldn't bet on it," Plagg said. "I'm ready, let's get back in the game."

"Huh, that's not like you, to be so ready to fight," Adrien said.

"It's never been this serious before," Plagg said with a shrug.

"Right." Adrien tightened his jaw. "Plagg, claws out!"

Chloé watched in wonder as Adrien transformed into Chat Noir. "Okay, that's pretty impressive," she said. She smiled. "My Adrichou is a superhero! Kind of a dorky superhero, but—"

The door burst open with the force of a cannon shot.

"I thought I might find you here."

Ladybug stalked into the room. Only she looked...different.

She was taller, curvier, with stiletto heels. Her hair was a short, white bob. Her skin was ashen grey, her lips glossy with black lipstick. Her spotted mask had a distinctive butterfly shape. A large spotted red handbag hung at her side.

Her yo-yo was covered in sharp, serrated blades.

She licked her lips. "Now, tell me where you stashed Adrien," she said. "Then give me your Miraculous and get out. You don't need to see the mess I'm about to make."

À SUIVRE...

Miraculous Ladybug is the intellectual property of Zagtoon, Method Animation, Toei Animation, and Thomas ASTRUC. This intellectual property is used without permission with no intent to profit from said use. The unique content contained on this page is the property of Mythril Moth, and redistribution of this content without express permission is strongly discouraged.